HORSE RACING;Aces Rises to Top of Heap With Victory in Astoria

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Seven very fast fillies, all of whom had won their debuts by as much as six lengths, stepped up into the stakes class yesterday for an encore at Belmont Park, and then only one of them was still undefeated: Aces, a daughter of Housebuster and grand-daughter of Secretariat.

The precocious juvenile zipped five and a half furlongs to win the 90th running of the Astoria by two lengths over Cometuseibella. And that's what the Astoria is all about: a stakes race early in the summer to establish career credentials for fast fillies.

She must be good. One of her owners and breeders is Rick Pitino, the coach of the University of Kentucky national basketball champions, who led her into the winner's circle as the star of an ownership cast that includes the Cherry Valley Farm and William Minardi.

The horse won her first race at Churchill Downs two weeks ago carrying 120 pounds and outran the even-money favorite, City College, by two-plus lengths. She now has a 2-for-2 record and has rarely raced behind any other horse.

She actually raced slightly behind Last Two States for three furlongs in the Astoria, but then drew clear as they entered the homestretch to win by two and a quarter lengths over Cometuseibella, who had a length or more on Last Two States.

The winner ran the five and a half furlongs in 1:051/5 , paid $4.70 for a $2 bet and went home with a friendly pat from Pitino and first prize of $32,730, which gave her a bankroll of more than $55,000 after two starts.

Frank Brothers, who trains the filly, said he would take her to Saratoga in three weeks "and take it from there," meaning he would run her in the career-building stakes for fillies there. Jerry Bailey, who rode Aces, said: "She was in good contention all the way. She did what she had to do to win."

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Meanwhile, back in Barn 3 at Belmont, where Woody Stephens used to reign, Unbridled's Song was waiting with the rest of us for a decision. Will he run Saturday in the Dwyer at Belmont, or wait a week for the Long Branch at Monmouth Park? Or will he somehow fly to Chicago and challenge Cigar one week from Saturday at Arlington?

The star-crossed colt's trainer, Jim Ryerson, said that a decision would be made today after Unbridled's Song returned from an easy breeze. The immediate issue will be the Dwyer, in which he would race other 3-year-old stars like Gold Fever and Honour and Glory at a mile and one-sixteenth. If not, then Ryerson would personally prefer to run him a week later at Monmouth, then three weeks later at Monmouth again in the Haskell, then three weeks after that at Saratoga in the great return match of the Triple Crown colts, the Travers.

But nothing counts in this camp until the owner speaks. And the owner, Ernie Paragallo, has yet to speak.

For the Fourth of July, meanwhile, Belmont offers some history of its own: the 110th running of the Suburban Handicap. It will be run at a mile and a quarter for a purse of $500,000, and the horses to beat are Wekiva Springs, trained by Bill Mott for Donald Dizney and James English, and L'Carriere, trained by James Bond for Virginia Kraft Payson.

And tomorrow, the parade of the 2-year-olds continues with the Tremont for colts, the companion piece to the Astoria. The fastest of the fast juveniles, Kelly Kip, will get the chance to repeat his eye-opening debut of two weeks ago when he broke the track record for five furlongs set five years ago by the renowned Lure.

"After they run fast," mused the colt's trainer, Allen Jerkens, "you always wonder if they can come back and do it again if they're being pressed."

A version of this article appears in print on July 4, 1996, on Page B00015 of the National edition with the headline: HORSE RACING;Aces Rises to Top of Heap With Victory in Astoria. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe